


Today

by glowrioustrash



Series: Someday [2]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angsty Character, Divorce, F/M, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-07 23:50:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21226307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glowrioustrash/pseuds/glowrioustrash
Summary: It should be your wedding anniversary, but it’s been over a year since the divorce. You plan on spending it alone, but Baron has other plans.





	Today

The second you woke up, sunshine spilling in through the curtains promising a beautiful day, you were already in an awful mood. Luckily, you had known this was coming. You had cleared your calendar completely and didn’t have to do a damn thing today. You didn’t have to leave the house at all if you didn’t want to, hell you could stay in bed all day once you opened the back door for Baxter, if that’s what you truly wanted.

Today is… was supposed to be your wedding anniversary. It had been about a year and a half since you had officially signed the papers and just over a year since the divorce had been finalized. The first “non-anniversary” that had passed had been hard. Really hard, but everyone was expecting it to be. No one pushed you to be better, just accepted your pain from the newly dissolved relationship. Now, a year later, you were trying to prove you were fine, and you were most days.

You didn’t regret the divorce - the relationship was over and so dead, as demonstrated by your ex husband Nick’s recent engagement announcement to the tramp he left you for - but you hated that you had thought you found your forever happiness and here you were, alone again. You still had Baxter of course, but he would love anyone that fed and pet him.

You picked up your phone, checking the notifications you’d gotten overnight. Nothing important: a few games reminding you to play for the daily bonus, a facebook notification, and the list of any overnight downloads. You cleared the notifications and set your phone back down with a sigh.

Baxter, from his doggy bed in the corner of the room, perked up at the movement, his tail wagging to see you awake. You tried to smile at him, but couldn’t bring the smile to reach your eyes. Baxter gave a long yawn as he stood, taking his time to stretch. He could be so dramatic. He pawed over to your bed, hopping up with his front paws to get a good look at you. He was trained well enough to not get on the bed unless he’d been called up.

“Hey boy.” You grumbled. “Wanna go outside?”

Baxter woofed happily in response. You pulled yourself reluctantly out of bed and shuffled towards the patio doors in your living room, leading to your modest, fenced-in backyard. You opened the sliding glass door for baxter and unlatched the doggy door your ex-husband had installed in the mesh of the screen door. Baxter pushed his way through, nose to the ground as he sniffed out the overnight changes to his territory. You watched him for a moment before shuffling back to bed. It was a safe neighbourhood, you weren’t worried about leaving the glass of the backdoor open during the day.

You woke a few more times that morning from your phone ringing. You ignored it, waiting for it to stop buzzing against the table before letting yourself drift back into a fitful sleep.

Next time you woke up, it was your doorbell going off frantically that roused you. The bell would ring a few times in a row followed by someone pounding on the door. You ignored it, pulling the pillow overtop of your head to block out the noise. Baxter was barking wildly, losing his mind that someone was making such a racket. The more they rang and knocked, the more he barked. You hoped the barking would scare away whoever it was as you blocked out the noise, falling asleep once more.

“Hey.” The voice in your room startled you, as did your foot being nudged. You jumped up with a scream, seeing Baron standing at the foot of your bed with a tray of coffee, paper bag, and a grin, no doubt finding it funny how much he’d scared you. Baxter, standing beside Baron and eying the bag in his hands, barked loudly at the excitement.

“The fuck are you doing?” You panted as you caught your breath from the scare.

“Brought breakfast.” He stated plainly with a shrug like it was obvious. He handed you the tray of coffee, which you mostly took out of confusion to the situation. He kicked his shoes off and sat next to you on the bed, dropping the paper bag between you.

“What are you doing here?” You clarified. You knew you hadn’t made plans with him. You hadn’t made any plans for the day except the ones you intended to keep with your bed.

“Wanted to hang out. Is that a crime? You know, you should really answer your phone.” He nagged, reaching into the bag and pulling out a bagel. Baxter’s front paws appeared on the bed as he eyes Baron’s food. “Buzz of, Bax. You already got yours.” He laughed. The dog huffed and jumped back off the bed.

“What I need to do is move the spare key.” You huffed as he took one of the coffees from the tray.

“I’m sorry, were you busy today?” He questioned with a raised eyebrow, challenging you as if he already knew the answer.

“Well, no…” You admitted.

“So there. We can hang out.” He smiled triumphantly, taking a bite of his bagel.

“You’re insufferable.” You grumbled, taking your coffee out of the tray to sip at it, throwing the cardboard tray on the floor. Baxter pounced on it immediately, sniffling at it. When he deemed it to be “not food” he started happily tearing it apart.

“And yet you suffer me.” He teased.

“Suffering is definitely what I’d call it.” You huffed, making Baron laugh. After a few sips, you set the coffee on your bedside table. Baron gestured to the paper bag but you shook your head, laying down again. You thought that if you just laid in bed like you had been planning, he’d leave you to your misery. The silence stretched between you but Baron showed no sign of leaving. He ate his breakfast, then started messing with his phone. You sighed loudly, turning around so your back was to him. You could hear him typing away on his phone, the haptic feedback giving off little buzzes. The sounds of Baron’s phone and Baxter tearing away at the cardboard were the only noises that kept the room from dead silence.

You were nearly asleep again when sound started coming from Baron’s side of the bed. You looked over your shoulder at him to see he was setting his phone on the bed between you, a movie starting on the screen.

“What are you doing?” You groaned.

“Shaun of the Dead.” He pointed at the screen as the movie started. You stared blankly at him before rolling back over. “Suit yourself.” He mumbled, unbothered.

The movie played on with Baron laughing intermittently and you trying to ignore both the movie and the nearly 7 foot man in your bed - not an easy task. You usually enjoyed Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg movies, so you eventually lost the battle as you huffed a begrudging laugh at one of the jokes.

“I heard that.” Baron called you on it.

“Shut up.” You grumbled.

“Get over here and watch the movie.” He sighed, pulling your shoulder so you would roll over. You glared up at him, but let him roll you over so you were facing his phone. After some readjusting, he had you laying with your head resting against his thigh and his arm draped over you, his large hand laying on your hip.

At first you were just barely snorting at the jokes you normally found funny, but Baron’s whole body shook under you everytime he laughed. His deep laughter resonated through your whole body, eventually making you break down and laugh too. By the end of the movie, you couldn’t help the grin on your face.

“What’s next?” He asked when the movie ended, picking up his phone.

“I can barely see shit on that screen.” You complained.

“Then let’s move to the living room.” He decided, looking down at you.

“But I’m comfy.” You pouted.

“We can cuddle on the couch. Let’s go.” He promised, patting your hip to spur you to move.

Once you sat up, freeing his lap, he stood and began gathering the trash from his breakfast. You waited until he picked up everything off the bed before standing, taking the comforter with you. He laughed behind you as you shuffled into the living room, dragging the comforter along the floor.

You plopped down on the couch, getting comfortable. You turned on the TV and waited for Netflix to load as Baron puttered. He soon appeared, setting a glass of water next to you and dropping the breakfast he’d brought for you in your lap, still wrapped. You could tell through the paper wrapped around it that it was a bagel sandwich from your favorite deli. You were about to set it on the table when your stomach growled, betraying you. Baron shot you a challenging look, almost daring you to deny that you were hungry. You rolled your eyes and unwrapped the bagel.

“What are we watching next?” You asked around a mouthful of food, making Baron snort at you.

“You pick.” He offered.

“I pick going back to bed.” You grumbled, starting to stand.

“Oh no you don’t!” Baron stopped you, grabbing your arm and pulling you back down. He secured you tightly to his side, his arm over your shoulders as he took the remote from your hands and started browsing.

You ended up watching Hellevator for a few hours, enjoying watching the people get scared and try to solve the puzzles while you both talked about how good or how bad you thought you’d fair in each challenge.

Just before 5:00, your doorbell rang, interrupting the episode you were on as Baxter ran to the door, barking.

“Pizza’s here.” Baron announced as he squeezed himself out from under you to answer the door.

“You ordered pizza?” You asked, not having noticed him do it. Baron didn’t answer you, instead shooing Baxter away from the door so he could open it. You sat up from where you had slouched over when Baron had left the couch, realizing you were a little hungry and could go for a slice of pizza. You paused the episode as you waited for Baron to return.

He came back into the room with a pizza box, two plates sitting on top of the box. Baxter was following him closely, nose sniffing the air wildly at the delicious aroma of pizza. He set the box down on the table and handed you a plate.

“When did you order this?” You asked.

“Off my phone during the last episode.” He shrugged. “You had your eyes covered while the girl dug through the maggots.”

“Oh, no, don’t… I’m about to eat.” You gagged, making him laugh. He slid a piece of pizza onto your plate before closing the box to keep inquiring doggy noses away from the food. You looked down at the slice, surprised to find it was your favorite. You looked up at Baron, watching him take a bite of his slice.

“You hate onion.” You accused.

“So?”

“Why did you get it on the pizza then?”

“Because you like it.” He shrugged, tugging a piece of pepperoni off his slice and throwing it to Baxter. No wonder the dog liked him so much.

“You could have gotten the pizza without onions.” You grumbled.

“Start the damn show already.” Baron huffed back. You rolled your eyes and pressed play on the remote.

A few hours later the two of you had grown tired of watching Hellevator and were browsing for something else to put on, Baron in control of the remote while you laid on the couch, your lower legs and feet in his lap. Baxter was laid on the floor next to you, your arm hanging off the couch to pet him.

“Why’d you come over today?” You asked.

“Felt like it.” He answered, not looking away from the TV.

“You don’t get many days home and I’ve been the worst company.” You reasoned. “You really could have spent the day doing better things. Taking your bike out or going to the gym. Fuck it, having a root canal.”

“Didn’t wanna do any of that. Wanted to hang out with you.” He answered.

“But why?”

“What’s with the Spanish Inquisition?” He deflected. “Actually, that works.” He mumbled as he selected Monty Python and The Holy Grail as the next thing the two of you were going to watch. You watched him skeptically but stopped pushing.

“Well, it was nice having you over, either way.” You mumbled as the opening credits were rolling. He didn’t respond, but you glanced over to see him grinning.

* * *

You woke up, wondering why you felt so stiff. You opened your eyes, noticing you weren’t in your bed but on the living room couch, the Netflix menu on the TV lighting the room. You sat up with a groan, the arm around your waist tightening as the man beside you huffed in protest.

You looked up at Baron’s sleeping face and wondered when the two of you had fallen asleep. The couch was barely big enough for Baron on his own, so with the two of you squished onto it together you could only imagine how uncomfortable he was… and yet, he hadn’t moved or left.

“C’mon.” You mumbled, voice hoarse with sleep as you patted him on the chest. “Le’s go t’ bed.”

Baron groaned, one eye cracking open to look at you. “Where’y’goin’?”

“Bed. You’re comin’ too.” You told him, pulling yourself loose from his hold. The two of you had shared a bed before and you weren’t going to make him drive home in the middle of the night. He groaned again as he sat up, stretching his muscles from where they had been cramped on the couch.

“Y’ go up. I’ll close th’ door.” He nodded towards the patio door, the glass of which was still sitting open as it had been all day. You nodded, pulling the comforter with you towards the bedroom. Baxter peered an eye open from the floor as the two of you moved, but didn’t seem very interested in following you two to the bedroom, already comfy.

You threw the comforter on the bed before you made your way into the bathroom to get ready for bed properly. With bleary eyes, you started to brush your teeth. You only had to stay awake for a few more minutes and you could snuggle under the covers again.

Baron appeared over your shoulder, having ditched his plaid button up and his jeans for bed, leaving him in his underwear and t-shirt. He reached over your shoulder into the medicine cabinet for a bottle of mouthwash. You brushed as he swished.

You finished and scooted out of his way so he could spit into the sink. He started running his fingers through his hair and you passed him your brush as you started to cleanse your face. The two of you worked well despite the tiny space. You did a lazy job of washing your face and finished before Baron had done brushing his hair.

Maybe it was the fact that you were half asleep. Maybe it was the familiarity of sharing the bathroom with someone as you both completed your night time routines, maybe it was the fact that your wedding anniversary had been on your mind. More than likely, it was a combination of the three as you passed Baron, pausing to peck him on the lips before shuffling back into the bathroom.

You heard a clatter from the bathroom as you reached the bed, starting to pull the comforter straight. You shook your head, wondering what clumsy thing Baron had done with his too-long arms when you realized… that was Baron, not your ex-husband.

You froze, suddenly wide awake as you realized you had kissed one of your closest friends. It had been a fairly innocent kiss, but it was a kiss nonetheless. You finally turned, seeing Baron standing in the doorway staring at you.

“Baron, I don’t know what… I’m so sorry…” You stuttered, trying to find a way to explain yourself out of this awkward mess.

Baron’s look of surprise transformed into a frown as you spoke. “Sorry?”

“I wasn’t paying attention, god that was stupid…” You tried to chuckle it off, hoping Baron would do the same, but his frown deepened.

“You didn’t mean to.” He stated more than asked.

“No, I was on autopilot.” You grimaced. “Half asleep.”

“Of course.” Baron nodded and crossed the room quickly, picking up where you left off trying to put the comforter back on the bed. He kept his eyes focussed on the task, not looking up at you.

“Are we okay?” You hesitated.

“Fine.” He glowered. You reached out and helped him with the comforter, not really sure what to say to fix what you had done. You felt awful, even worse than you had this morning if that was even possible.

Once the comforter was fixed, in silence, Baron marched to the wall switch and turned off the light. You climbed into bed, feeling the bed dip beside you as he joined you. The awkward silence dragged on in the dark, both of you laying on opposite side of the bed. You wrung your hands, trying to come up with something you could say or do to fix this, but every excuse you came up with just sounded more pathetic than the last.

Baron’s loud sigh caught your attention a second before he sat up. “Maybe I should just go.”

“No, please… I’m such an idiot.” You stammered, sitting up to watch him move in the dark.

“Neither of us are gonna get any sleep this wired.” He explained, grabbing his jeans off the dresser.

“There’s no reason for us to be wired. It was a silly mistake. Just a kiss. We need to shake it off.” You tried. Baron mumbled something in the dark as he slid his jeans up over his hips.

“What?” You asked, shuffling forward on your knees to the foot of the bed.

“I said not to me, okay? It wasn’t just a kiss to me.” He admitted.

“W-what?” You repeated, not sure you had heard him. He froze with a sigh, leaning against the dresser.

“You honestly have no idea?” He wondered quietly.

“Of what?” You asked again, still confused what was happening.

“That I… “ He trailed off with a frustrated sigh and you could see his outline in the dark, resting his head in his hands.

“Baron?” You called him, eyes widening as you guessed what he was trying to say. That your best friend, your rock through the divorce - fuck that, through everything - had feelings for you. “I’m such an idiot.” You breathed in disbelief.

“I’m the idiot.” Baron shook his head, picking up his button-up from the dresser. You jumped out of bed, eager to stop him from leaving. “I’m gonna-”

“No!” You stood in front of him, hand on his chest to stop him from leaving. “I can’t believe… you’ve been right here this whole time.” You wanted to laugh. It was almost ridiculous. “I’m the idiot because I didn’t see it.”

“See what? That the big oaf had a crush on you?” He scoffed, embarrassed as he slid on his shirt.

“Kiss me?” You begged, voice barely above a whisper.

“What?” Baron asked in disbelief.

“Kiss-” You didn’t even get a chance to repeat yourself when his lips pressed to yours.This wasn’t the peck that had happened in the bathroom, this was a full blown kiss: lips moving in tandem as Baron wrapped his big arms around you, your hands fisting into the shoulders of his shirt as he pulled you flush against him.

You gasped as he picked you up easily, your legs wrapping around his waist to steady yourself. The kiss never broke as he set you on the top of the dresser, bringing you closer to his height. He tangled a hand in your hair, cupping the back of your head as he kissed the hell out of you. You had never put much thought into what kind of kisser Baron was, but he was a damn good one.

You were breathless when he pulled away, you could feel how swollen your lips were. You couldn’t remember the last time you were so thoroughly kissed. Well before the divorce.

“Sorry…” He muttered, leaning his forehead against your shoulder. “I had… if that was my one shot, I was gonna take it.”

“Why did you never say anything?” You wondered, nuzzling his neck.

“Was scared to mess up our friendship. Then you showed up with him.” He practically growled at the mention of your ex. “Then you were engaged, and married…” His hand slid down your left shoulder, following your arm until he was holding your hand. His thumb brushed pointedly over your left ring finger, where your wedding and engagement rings had lived for almost 4 years.

“That long?”

“Yeah.”

“Baron-”

“Don’t.” He spoke firmly, lifting his head and taking a step away. “Don’t do this out of pity or because you feel like you owe it to me. If this is something… I need it to be real.”

You reached in the dark and took his big hand in your own. “This isn’t pity, Baron. This is… I don’t even know what this is.” You laughed, feeling lighter than you had in so long. “This is me opening my eyes and seeing what was in front of me.”

“You mean that?” He questioned.

“Yes.” You answered. “If you can give me the chance to figure it out, to catch up…”

“I’ve waited this long.” Baron murmured, cupping your cheek. “I can wait a bit longer. Go as slow as you need.”

“Thank you.” You whispered, nuzzling his hand as you felt tears starting to pool in your eyes. You were expecting to cry today, but not over this.

“Please stay?” You requested, reaching up and sliding his button-up off his shoulders. He was quiet as you did, but he didn’t stop you. You set the shirt back down onto the dresser and took his hand, pulling him back towards the bed.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

You responded by getting into the bed and giving his hand a tug, prompting him to follow. He released your hand and you worried for a second he was leaving when you heard the shuffling of fabric. In the dark, you could make our the outline of him taking his jeans back off before he climbed in behind you.

“I uh, I’m not looking for anything to happen tonight.” You mumbled shyly, wanting to make sure you were both on the same page.

“I know. It’s okay.” Baron hummed, pulling you in close. “I can put my jeans back on if-”

“No, sleeping in jeans is awful, don’t do that.” You dismissed.

“Alright.” He agreed through a yawn.

“Thank you for being here today.” You acknowledged quietly. “It would have been hell without you.”

“I thought you might need someone today.” He mumbled.

“I’m glad it was you.”

“Me too.”


End file.
